Spirituality Resources

IN PRAISE OF MARY

INTRODUCTION
After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI honored the Blessed Virgin Mary with her newest title, Mary, Mother of the Church. There has been an important rediscovery of Mary in theology today as both Catholic and Protestant scholars come to a fuller realization of the richly symbolic language of discipleship and faith used about Mary in the Scriptures.

INVITATION TO PRAYER
Leader: Let us pray.
In the name of our God, who created Mary,
In the name of our God, who blessed Mary,
In the name of our God, who gave us Mary
as Mother and Disciple,
Let us give praise and thanks.
All: Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 1:26–35

RITUAL
Light is an integral part of the rituals of our faith. Invite each person to light a small candle and hold it during the reflective listening, symbolic of our seeking the Lord in our lives.

REFLECTIVE LISTENING
Play soft music. Suggested pieces:
"Hail Mary: Gentle Woman" Carey Landry
"Holy is His Name" John Michael Talbot

PRAYER RESPONSE: The Magnificat (Luke 1:46–56)
(Antiphonally)
RIGHT: Mary said, " My heart praises the Lord;
my soul is glad because of God my Savior,
for God has remembered me, his lowly servant!
LEFT: From now on all people will call me happy,
because of the great things God has done for me.
RIGHT: God’s name is holy;
from one generation to another God shows mercy to those who
honor God.
God has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud
with all their plans.
LEFT: God has brought down mighty kings from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly.
God has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
ALL: God has remembered to show mercy to Abraham
and to all his descendants forever!

SILENT REFLECTION Luke 1: 46–56
Invite each person to be silent for a few moments and ponder the meaning of Mary’s prayer—her story of God acting in her life.

JOURNALING
Your magnificat is the story of God acting in your life. We have all said our own magnificats many times. Take a few moments and recall times when you were especially mindful of God acting in your life—times when you were surprised by unexpected circumstances, when you knew that God was watching over you. Write your reflections in a simple phrase or comment so that you can name the moment as an Annunciation, a Visitation, a miracle of Cana, or one of those special moments at the cross, after the Resurrection, or at Pentecost. We each experience these events in our lives. We have but to name them for what they are—our magnificats.

God acted in my life when. . .

Suggested Scripture readings for further reflection:
Matthew 1:18–20
Matthew 2: 13–15
Luke 2:1–52

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